Pyongyang, January 26 (KCNA) -- Chairmen of the United
Confederations of Koreans in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and
Kirghizstan recently issued statements in support of the
joint new year editorial of the newspapers of the Party, the
army and the youth league of the DPRK.
The editorial indicates what the Koreans should do this
year, they said, and expressed full support to the part of
the editorial dealing with national reunification.
They vowed to decorate 1997 as the most significant year
in promoting the cause of national reunification under the
wise leadership of the respected General Kim Jong Il.
They resolved to rally broad segments of Koreans closely
around the organisations and arouse them to the patriotic
movement for reunification.

Pyongyang, January 26 (KCNA) -- The Headquarters of
Koreans in China of the National Alliance for the Country's
Reunification convened a presidium meeting on Jan. 20 to
discuss measures for the repatriation of Kim In So, Kim Yong
Thae and Ham Se Hwan, unconverted long-term prisoners, from
south Korea.
The meeting participants said the three old men should
have been sent back to the north of Korea where they have
their hometowns and families in accordance with the Korean
armistice agreement and the international law on human
rights as they are prisoners of war.
The Koreans in China accused the south Korean authorities
of detaining them in south Korea.
A measure committee of Koreans in China for the
repatriation of unconverted long-term prisoners from south
Korea was inaugurated at the meeting.

Pyongyang, January 26 (KCNA) -- The worst crisis of the
south Korean economy is an outcome of the Kim Young Sam
regime's treacherous economic policy, Rodong Sinmun Saturday
quotes Prof. and Dr. Son Jong Chol as saying.
In an article Son Jong Chol analyses the traitor Kim
Young Sam's treacherous and deceptive "economic policy."
The article says:
Kim Young Sam's "globalization" campaign has brought the
south Korean economy to the brink of total bankruptcy.
The incredible increase in foreign debt is a graphic
example of the critical situation of the south Korean
economy.
South Korea's foreign debt has snowballed since Kim Young
Sam took office and now exceeds dlrs 100 billion by far.
In November last year, the puppet board of finance and
economy announced that the foreign debt totalled more than
dlrs 100 billion. If loans and overseas bonds are included
in the estimate, south Korea's foreign debt amounts to dlrs
150 billion.
The snowballing of foreign debt is mainly attributable to
massive infiltration of foreign capital and rapid growth of
trade deficit following market opening.
The south Korean economy is a typical example of export-
oriented deformed colonial dependent economy. So, the trade
deficit is an index indicative of the crisis of south
Korea's economy.
Even according to the underestimated data announced by
the puppets, south Korea's trade deficit last year was a
record high of dlrs 23 billion, or 2.3 times the 1995
figure.
The south Korean economy, saddled with heavy foreign
debts, has extreme financial and marketing difficulties,
with businesses going to ruin in succession.
According to data issued by a south Korean bank, 37
enterprises went bankrupt on a daily average last year. The
year witnessed the bankruptcy of a total of some 100 big
businesses and more than 10,000 minor ones.
The south Korean people will never pardon Kim Young Sam,
who has driven the economy to the brink of total bankruptcy
and made them live a hard life as "servants in debt."

Pyongyang, January 26 (KCNA) -- The Trade Union Committee
of the Sung.I General Motor works in the north of Korea sent
a letter to the trade union and workers of the Kia Motors
corp. of south Korea. The letter came as the struggle of the
south Korean workers and other people to nullify the "labour
law" and the "law on the agency for national security
planning" was growing in scope in defiance of the vicious
suppression by the puppet clique.
The struggle of the south Korean workers for the
abrogation of the fascist laws is an absolutely natural and
just struggle to defend the inviolable vital rights and
freedom of man, the letter said, and noted:
The only way for the south Korean workers is to
bring the traitor Kim Young Sam to the tribunal of history.
The letter expressed the belief that the trade union and
workers of the Kia Motors corp. will undauntedly fight till
the day of the final victory.

Pyongyang, January 26 (KCNA) -- World public circles have
extended solidarity to the south Korean workers in the
strikes demanding the re-amendment of the "labour laws" and
the "law on the agency for national security planning".
The Revolutionary Socialist Party of Peru in a statement
on Jan 18 said that the retrogressive revision of the "laws
on labour affairs and the ANSP" was aimed at saving the
Seoul puppet government from the political and economic
crisis.
The statement expressed solidarity for the struggle of
the south Korean working people, in the belief that they
will continue the struggle till the Kim Young Sam
dictatorial regime surrenders.
The Christian Arab Democratic Party of Jordan in a
statement on January 19 bitterly denounced the south Korean
fascist clique's suppression of the strikers and expressed
support and solidarity for their righteous struggle.
The Labour Congress of Thailand, the General Trade Union
for Building and Wood Industries Workers of Egypt and the
Democratic Youth League of Ghana in their letters of protest
to the traitor Kim Young Sam demanded that the south Korean
authorities abrogate the trouble-making "laws" immediately,
stop the suppression of the strikers and set free the
arrested people unconditionally and at once.
The Madagascar-Korea Friendship Association and the
Malagasy Solidarity Committee in a joint statement on Jan.
20 extended support and solidarity to the south Korean
workers and other people in the just struggle for the
nullification of the retrogressively revised "law on the
ansp" and "labour laws" and for freedom, democracy and the
right to existence.
The Bulgaria-Korea Friendship Association and the France-
Korea Friendship Association in their statements exposed the
reactionary and anti-social nature of these laws. The
statements said that it is only too natural for the south
Korean workers and other people to oppose the retrogressive
revision of the fascist "laws" by the puppet clique and that
their struggle is just.

Pyongyang, January 26 (KCNA) -- The "National Council of
Parents of Students for True Education" and six other
education-related organisations of south Korea published a
statement on January 23 urging the re-amendment of the
"labour laws" to suit the international standards, a Seoul-
based radio report said.
The statement denounced the fascist clique for cracking
down upon the just struggle of trade unionists against the
retrogressively revised "labour laws" and demanded an
immediate withdrawal of "legal action" on more than 400
unionists.

Pyongyang, January 26 (KCNA) -- A Japanese newspaper
recently gave an account of the "dietmen's council for reply
to spirits" in which 190 liberal-democratic members of both
houses of the diet are enlisted. The first and foremost task
of the council is reported to "promote" official visit of
the prime minister and other cabinet members to the
"Yasukuni Shrine." a news analyst of Rodong Sinmun today says:
The visit to the "shrine" is a touchstone showing what
attitude the Japanese government authorities take toward the
past acts of aggression and which way Japan will go in
future.
The Japanese authorities have claimed that a few rightist
individuals and organisations call for visiting the
"Yasukuni Shrine."
However, it has been brought to light that the Prime
Minister and most of the government members belong to the
"dietmen's council for reply to spirits," a shock brigade in
the agitation for militarism. This indicates that the
Japanese government is directly involved in, and
manipulates, the activities to whitewash and justify the
past aggression.
The Japanese government defines it as a state policy to
deny and justify the past crimes and realise the old dream
of "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere."
Japan is the only country in the world that has not
frankly admitted, reflected on and atoned for the past
aggression.
If Japan is to enjoy confidence of the international
community, it must honestly admit, reflect on and atone for
its past crimes, instead of whitewashing the past acts of
aggression and justifying militarism.

Pyongyang, January 26 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today
brands the recent "talks between ruling and opposition party
leaders" in south Korea as a political deal characterised
by Kim Young Sam's unilateral outrage to justify, defend and
enforce fascist laws. The "talks" were outwardly aimed at
"rewriting the disputed laws on the agency for national
security planning and labor affairs through negotiation and
compromise between the ruling and opposition parties."
The news analyst says:
At the "talks" the traitor Kim Young Sam argued that the
"laws passed through parliament legitimately can never be
annulled." this was the height of shamelessness and an
unbearable challenge to the people calling for unconditional
repeal of the fascist laws.
The Kim Young Sam regime's call for "rewriting the laws
through ruling-opposition negotiation" is a trick to play
for time, overcome the political and economic confusion and
destroy labor unions one by one.
The south Korean opposition parties are now taken in by
the "negotiation card" of the "New Korea Party." this
compels people to suspect that the opposition are bent on
fishing in troubled waters through a political bargaining
with the authorities, rather than speaking for the interests
of workers.
Struggle is the only way out for the workers. Only when
the south Korean workers, peasants, students, intellectuals,
religionists and other people join in the already-started
nationwide struggle against Kim Young Sam and fascist laws,
will the bulwark of fascism collapse and a democratic new
society be built.

Pyongyang, January 26 (KCNA) -- Papers here today observe
the day of the proclamation of the Republic of India.
The proclamation of the Republic was a significant event
in the social and political life of the Indian people who
were freed from the imperialist colonial rule, a signed
article of Rodong Sinmun says, and goes on:
The path traversed by the Indian people after the
foundation of the republic was a course of proud struggle to
consolidate the national independence and achieve the
independent development and modernization of the country.
The Korean people sincerely congratulate the Indian
people on the achievements they made in the struggle to
build a prosperous new society.
India, a founder-state of the non-aligned movement, is
actively striving for the strengthening and development of
the movement.
The Korean people value the friendly and cooperative
relations with the Indian people and will in the future make
active efforts to further develop these relations in the
political, economic, cultural and other fields.
A by-lined article of Minju Joson wishes the Indian
people greater success in the work for the progress and
prosperity of the country.